While the Twins are facing an uncertain payroll situation headed into the offseason, Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune indicates that won’t stop the club from picking up options on second baseman Jorge Polanco and outfielder Max Kepler, noting both options are “expected” to be picked up around the league. That being said, Nightengale also notes that both players figure to be in the center of trade discussions this winter if Minnesota looks to utilize their position player depth to acquire more pitching.
That’s a familiar situation to Kepler in particular, who found his name in the rumor mill both last offseason and again at the trade deadline. After posting below-average offensive numbers in both 2021 and 2022, Kepler bounced back in a big way this season with a .260/.332/.484 slash line in 130 games, adding a plus bat to his reputation as a strong defender in the outfield. A free agent after the 2024 campaign if his option is picked up, Kepler would be an attractive one-year addition for outfield-needy teams that the Twins could afford to part with due to the presence of young outfielders like Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach.
Polanco, on the other hand, has team options for both 2024 and 2025 that make him a more significant player to part with. The switch-hitting infielder has been a model of consistency when on the field the past few years, with a wRC+ between 118 and 124 in every full season since 2019. That being said, he’s been plagued by injuries the past two seasons, appearing in just 80 contests for the Twins in 2023 and 104 in 2022.
MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald recently took a poll of MLBTR readers regarding whether or not the club should deal Polanco, with 56% of respondents voting that he should be dealt. Effective as Polanco has been, that sentiment in understandable given the club’s cluttered infield mix that features Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, Edouard Julien and up-and-coming prospects like Brooks Lee and Austin Martin. Nightengale adds that the Twins could use Polanco in a super utility, multi-positional role next season if he’s retained for 2024. While Polanco profiles best as a second baseman, he played 15 games at third base this year and spent time at shortstop early in his career as well.
More from around the American League…
- Ever since right-hander Tyler Glasnow signed an extension with the Rays that guaranteed him a $25MM payday in 2024, speculation has percolated throughout the baseball world that Tampa would look to move him before the final year of that contract. With RosterResource projecting the Rays for a franchise-record payroll of $130MM next year, moving Glasnow would be a viable strategy for the club if they look to get closer to their 2022 level of $79MM. That said, it’s worth noting that the Rays have indicated they’re open to increasing payroll next year and the club’s biggest area of need is the starting rotation. That need would get bigger without Glasnow, who pitched to a 3.53 ERA and 2.91 FIP across 21 starts this season. For his part, Glasnow wants to stay with the Rays in 2024 and beyond. As relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Glasnow spoke glowingly of the organization and its culture while noting the $150MM offer the club made to Freddie Freeman during the 2021-22 offseason as evidence that the club could retain him beyond 2024, if they so chose.
- While Red Sox manager Alex Cora took himself out of the running for the club’s opening atop the baseball operations department early in the club’s search for their next GM, at the time it was believed that Cora would play a significant role in the hiring process as Boston looked to replace ousted chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. This morning, however, MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam notes that Cora’s role in the process may not be as substantial as previously believed. McAdam reports that a source has indicated that Cora has had very little involvement in the process to this point, though McAdam does note that the Red Sox’s intentions of involving Cora were focused on ensuring a good working relationship between the manager and his new boss. Given those goals, it’s certainly possible Cora could have greater impact on the process once the team has narrowed the field of candidates down further.
I have not seen or hear about Boston Red Sox talking or been link to either Former White Sox Rick H or Kenny W or former New York Mets
Billy E
I would think If the job Is so bad as many people say. You sure would talk to them
Eppler is a non-option until the investigation is complete. Imagine hiring him as GM and then he’s suspended.
The White Sox is a train wreck – why hire the engineer?
The Red Sox might find their targets more willing to interview if they took Cora out of the requirements. Sure, have the new POBO talk with Cora, but if they wish to move on from him, so be it. Having the two on the same page is more important than making sure Cora is one of the two.
Let the incoming head determine Cora’s fate. The fact that Cora is so fond of by ownership is part of why their search hasn’t been successful so far
Dewey – Cora is a cancer. Fire him now and lets stop talking about it. He’s a worthless piece of dung that doesn’t deserve to be on a field ever again.
My opinion, humble as it is, is that if it weren’t for Cora and his mismanagement style, Otani would have considered the BoSox as a landing spot. As it is, he will probably opt for San Francisco, his second choice.
Henry is not moving on from Cora. As they’re softening their stance, Cora will probably skip the first round of interviews but certainly be involved after that. The priority remains that the candidate needs to get along with Cora.
Companies that let the employees pick their bosses usually dont do well. The reasons are too obvious to explain.
Yankee – You have no idea what you are talking about. There isn’t one person that knows what’s going on including Henry.
All the Cora speculation is a distraction created to keep fans from storming the castle and making a bigger public spectacle of the owners.
If they fire Cora now then EVERYONE would focus on the fact that the owners aren’t making progress on the POBO. By floating crap about everything Cora the marketing department is distracting the fan base and keeping them from concentrating on the other real problem, THE OWNERS INABILITY TO FIND ANYONE WILLING TO JOIN THE TOXIC ORGANIZATION THEY CREATED IN 2019.
Oh OK. Red Sox P.R. is spinning it as Cora’s presence for Henry’s inability to interview quality execs. It has nothing to do with a new PoBO not being able to hire their own manager and staff. Cora also no involvement whatsoever in this search process.
Yankee – I think you missed the point entirely. The CORA DISTRACTION is a way to keep Boston fans from focusing solely on the ownership’s ineptness at finding a quality candidate. Henry hates to be embarrassed and he will do anything to distract the public. He gave away Mookie to keep the public from focusing on Mookie’s diversity issues with ownership. Henry blamed the CAP as a reason to fire DD instead of the fact that DD wanted to keep Mookie and refused to trade him.
There was never a CAP issue.
There was never an attempt to model the team after any other team.
There was never money denied to Bloom.
There was never an interest by any of the candidates rumored to interview.
That’s how Henry uses his marketing department to control public opinion.
Why would Ng be rumored to want to be the POBO in Boston when she couldn’t handle Miami? Because it inspires discussion about a female POBO and the new diversity in the Red Sox organization. That’s not true but all they want to do is leave the public with an impression without stating it so it can’t be considered a lie. Red Sox Nation seldom gets a true story from the Red Sox organization. It’s always a white lie that leads to conclusions that Boston is doing something right when they are not.
DD, Mookie, Price, Benny and last season JD, Nate and Bogey. There was always a suggested justification for why they were good moves yet EVERYONE knew it was horse crap. Same with the hunt for the new POBO. They are floundering as usual and people are talking about Cora instead.
If you disagree, you need to take a deeper look at the reality of how Boston’s marketing group spreads misconceptions and diversions from the truth to make Henry look better. They did it for Henry’s mistake named Bloom. They’ve done it for Henry’s mistake named Cora and they did it for Henry’s mistake of banishing Mookie for complaining about racism in the organization. How many times did Marketing sell the idea that Mookie was greedy? For wanting fair compensation? The public is generally stupid and believes what they read on sites like this one and media reports that are tainted by the Marketing department.
That was my point!!!.
If Cora has detrimental information about Henry that would have gotten him suspended for the media room scandal, he’s played his cards successfully. If you believe all the recent Cora discussions that are absurdly exaggerated , you’ve taken the bait. Cora is the Lee Harvey Oswald in the hunt for a new POBO. He’s the patsy who is getting quoted and pointed to as being central to a decision he has nothing to do with. He soaks it up because he has a huge ego for a talent-less man. He likes the limelight and we can only hope his 15 minutes of fame are about to end when a REAL POBO gets hired.
If the new POBO doesn’t get ownership to agree to fire Cora, then he’s not qualified for the job.
While I’m indifferent towards Cora, I appreciate and respectfully disagree with your articulate, impassioned response.
Yankee – I’m a second generation baseball player who respects the game. What Cora, Hinch and Beltran did is inexcusable to me. I will never forgive them for their actions and I will always believe they should have been banned for life.
I’m also old enough to have watched both Coras play as well as the Boone brothers. I always felt Brett Boone was the smarter and better baseball player compared to Aaron just like I considered Joey the smarter and better ball player to Alex. Why Brett and Alex got big market managerial jobs is befuddling!! Aaron Boone was Mr. Personality while Brett was Mr. Baseball like his dad. Joey, the older mature brother (10 years older) was a first round pick from Vanderbilt and a starter for most of his 11 years in the bigs. He hit a respectable .277 and finished with a career OPS+ of 90 which is below league average. Alex the weaker player was a bench guy who didn’t focus on fundamentals.and got by on personality much like Aaron Boone. He finished his career with a 72 OPS+ that reflected exactly how bad he was!! He never worked hard, he didn’t take things seriously and he preferred short-cuts when it came to practice and in-game behavior. He constantly wanted to gain an edge on the competition, whether it was legal or not. His approach to the game was typical of a younger brother using the success of his older brother and his relationships to get ahead in life.
Nothing has changed. Cora is still the non-hard working under talented guy who tries to find short-cuts to winning. For all those reasons, I despise what he’s done to the game that I have been a part of for over 60 years.
As a Red Sox fan I’ve disliked many Yankee players but I despise Cora uniquely so if it seems a bit fanatic, it is.
I’ve posted that a number of times. I don’t mind asking Cora a few questions about trades that GM applicants have made, but any further input is crazy inappropriate. I have no issue with Cora as a manager, but this has to be a “prove-it” year for Cora.
The biggest issue right now, and is likely overstated, but the new GM/POBO has to know what type of power they have and what the 2024 budget is.
Log Guy – The Red Sox list of PBO candidates is talented people who don’t want the job. It is not talentless people who would want the job…although I can not see any organization taking White Sox rejects….lol
JC#1;
You’re a rational Rd Sox fan. Can’t say that for the ones below….that seem not to know a thing about MLB or baseball…..but are hysterical when they’re posting and and even more so to those of us reading them.
In 2018 the Red Sox had a 108-54 record. They won a WS championship. Their PoBO was Dave Dombrowski. Their manager was Alex Cora.
Red Sox fans on here routinely complained about Mr. Dombrowski, but have shut up the past 2 years as the Phillies went to the WS in 2022 and may again this year. Many of their players came up from the farm system that posters here wrote Dombrowski routinely empties out…a farm system that when he inherited it was one of the worst in MLB.
As for Alex Cora, he’s one of the top 10 managers in MLB. If the Red Sox owners are dumb enough to fire him, Mr. Cora will have his pick of a major league job within 2 years…in fact, some teams would fire their manager if they could get him.
I don’t know if most Red Sox fans are as lost as the posters here. Maybe. Maybe not. But like Yankee fans they’re incredibly entitled, and don’t understand that the MLB by-laws from the free agency period in the mid-1970′ to the early 2010’s have slowly been changed and the Red Sox and Yankees an no longer can buy the top free agents each year. Their FO’s have to compete on a semi-level playing field which they didn’t have to compete on for 35 or so years.
These Red Sox “expert fans” don’t like Dombrowski and Cora.
L O L
P.S. Watch what happens to the MLB franchise that hires Chaim Bloom. No matter what capacity he serves in, that franchise and
its MLB team will be marketably improved.
Samuel – Agreed, IMO, Bloom’s hands were tied on various fronts….1) he was told to trade Betts. The decision was way above his pay grade, and part of his interview questions were probably how he would maximize Betts value. Commenters here routinely forget the Red Sox received $46,000,000 for Price’s contract, 2) He was told to get under the CBT (although he goofed by not trading JD last year to get under the tax), but Bloom did a good job filling a lot of holes on the cheap and got to the ALCS in 2021, 3) He was told to improve the farm system (Abreu and Valdez was a steal for two months of Vazquez, JBJ 2.0 for Renfro was a dumb move…., but 4) Wacha and Eovaldi should have been resigned if Kluber, for $10 million was the alternative. 5) Bloom counted way too much on injured players returning to top form. Under valued stocks are cheap for a good reason and so are MLB players.
Net result Bloom drew his lines in the sand on certain players and would not go over that dollar figure. The consequences were that the Red Sox missed out on players they badly needed in order to compete. Dombrowski was a growth stock investor in that he frequently overpaid (David Price 7 yr/$217 mil, Kimbrel the number of prospects…). Growth stock investors pay a premium for performance, and DD got that performance 2016, 2017, 2018. DD’s last year netted the over use from 2018 as starters broke down, and FSG (ownership) did not like the $240+ mil payroll and fired DD. It was a knee jerk reaction.
The new PBO will need to bridge the ‘speed too much’ that ownership does not want, with the missing out on talent, that the ownership does not want. FSG (Fenway Sports Group) wants it both ways at once. So, if I had a good position like Breslow, I would only leave for the top spot (same with all the other candidates). FSG is fickle, so why put yourself through that. Eddie Romero has been with the Red Sox since 2006, he has held numerous positions. I would be almost surprised if they pick someone other than him. In some degree I think this whole process is for show and Romero will be who they choose.
Samuel – Still a believer in Bloom! That takes guts after the mess he made, the hundreds of errors in judgment and his inability to provide adequate resources to fill the roster with talent. But sure, that could completely turn around somewhere else.
As a favor to me, please never suggest DD and Cora are in any way alike. One is the scum of the earth and the other is possibly the greatest GM of all time.
Also, Boston and New York fans are not entitled to the same degree as you suggest. The Yankees stand alone in their entitlement with the Dodgers a distant second from a money perspective. If you believe the bogus CAP in baseball truly deters the entitled from being entitled I would argue that you are wrong. I would sight the fact that Gerrit Cole was contracted after the Yankees were already over the CAP yet there was no hesitation in giving him $35MM more over the CAP. That’s entitlement and that took place just a couple of years ago.
I think it’s fair to say there is greater competition for individual talent which is why it’s far more critical to get it right than in the past. Stanton was a massive mistake just like Devers is for Boston. They will haunt their respective clubs for half a decade.
Since I believe I am one of those “expert” fans you are referring to you must realize some of us actually do their homework in hopes of achieving a status of expert. They review the details of the life of Dave Dombrowski and they marvel at his accomplishments. Then they delve into the past of Alex Cora and realize how much benefit one can receive by knowing the right people if you don’t have talent. He got to play at the MLB level without talent and now he gets to manage without talent. His greatest talent documented is cheating since he impacted more games with his sign stealing system than any other notorious act ever committed in baseball. Up to 90 games have questionable outcomes thanks to his cheating and the Houston Astros completely corrupted the 2017 results.
So for those that hate DD I say it’s pure ignorance and for those who hate Cora I say it’s simple logic and morals.
Good luck proving the “Chaim will turn out better somewhere else” hypothesis. I’m skeptical but anything is possible.
Trollfree and others;
What makes you think that Chaim Bloom had the authority to do what he wanted to do?
Grow up and understand the adult world. There isn’t a line of top caliber FO people hoping to become the Red Sox PoBO. In fact, after seeing what happened to Mr. Bloom and his reputation, the good ones don’t want to even interview to work for a career killer employer and a front-running, vindictive fanbase.
This is the adult world. Billions of dollars involved. Suggest you kids grow up. The Red Sox aren’t a good organization to work for, Ask Dave Dombrowski and Terry Francona. among others.
Many of their players came up from the farm system t
================================
Not really. Stott are Rojas are the major guys. Stott had to be kept since they had a bad MI. FWIW, I think one of DD’s strengths is trading away prospects at their peak value.
Perhaps potential candidates are not as eager to work with Cora as anticipated? Perhaps others aren’t as quick with the blind eye as John Henry? Move on from Cora.
Man, Glasnow is a tough one to figure out. He’s usually pretty damn good when healthy, but there’s the rub – he can’t seem to stay on the moind consistently. So, how can a team – especially one that watches its pennies like the Rays – guarantee a deal that goes multiple years? I don’t think they can do that unless they get creative.
Agree, i cant see them not trading him
Well this is actually the last year of the deal, so I think there are teams that would roll the dice on a trade. His value is about as high as it’s going to get at this point where they should entertain offers.
The only problem I see is the Rays starting pitching depth next year is thin. They really need to trade some of the surplus hitting they have to provide more depth at the SP position before pulling the trigger on a Glasnow trade.
GOAT – Rasmussen and Springs are both coming back from TJ surgery and they are both better than anyone on the Red Sox right now. The start of the season will be a struggle with pitching for TB but they should be fine if not great by mid season.
I agree, they’ll both be huge boosts by mid season and their staff is certainly better than Boston’s (although that is a pretty low bar), but what are the odds that one or two of the big three (Efflin-Civali-Glasnow) don’t land on the IL before they return? With the Rays track record with keeping pitchers healthy and those players’ injury-prone pasts, they’ll need all the bodies they can get to get through June/July.
Maybe they’ll get lucky and all three will be healthy until at least mid season, but their plan B if they get injured sooner than later is kind of shaky. Maybe Taj takes a step forward? Maybe bullpen days will be enough until then? I’d feel much better if they had a few more options than that.
They also didn’t have Shane Baz this past year. I’ve seen him throw and he’s another electric arm in their rotation or bullpen based on their available depth and he’ll be ready by spring training.
Taj Bradley has a past performance line that makes him look like their next Glasnow as well as Baz. Bradley should have been in AAA in 2023 but needs forced him up early and his numbers weren’t comparable to all other levels he played at.
I hate to admit it but TB is very, very deep in pitching. They have another kid named Santiago Suarez who could be their next great pitcher after the two I mentioned.
TB does everything with smoke and mirrors but it works thanks to the pitching and until that drops off, they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot but never a ring.
Tampa is not all that deep in pitching. I don’t know how it all shakes out but the Rays are likely to trade Glasnow and probably several of the following names: Margot, Ramirez, Aroz, B.Lowe and a bunch of relievers. From those trades they should get some pitching help, but who knows. One thing is clear though, the Rays will probably have a starting rotation of Eflin, Civale, Littell, Bradley, Baz and whoever they get in trade. That’s not a strong rotation by anyone’s standards, and the Rays have no depth beyond that group.. Springs and Ras will be back after the ASG, but they won’t be fully back until 2025 in all likelihood. McClanny is a 2025 options. Suarez is a 2026 option.
As a Rays fan, I’m counting on them bringing in some serious pitching talent with their trades this year. We need it!
mp28g1 – Nice analysis of the TB pitching.
If your trade candidates are dealt then Glasnow should bring back the most along with Arozarena. Lowe is incredibly inconsistent and you don’t want him on bad years. Ramirez is a sleeper but worthy of bring back some talent. Margot won’t bring back anything. League average players are a dime a dozen.
Your little think tank of trade gurus (which did not include Bloom!!) always seems to find at least one steal that significantly impacts the roster. I expect the same this off season. The boost you’ll get when Rasmussen and Springs return should be tremendous. Trading Glasnow at the all-star break might be a great way to maximize his value and keep the pitching staff competitive until your two big guns return. $15MM in 2024 and 2025 is not a lot of money for a guy with Glasnow’s stuff so a deadline deal could really bring in some talent for TB.
Arozarena, the other trade candidate is ARB through the 2026 season so 2025 is likely his trade point. He’ll be back in 2024. Ramirez on the other hand has one less year than Arozarena so he’s a candidate for trade beginning this off season and very likely at the trade deadline in 2024 if he’s not traded before then. That will be a tough loss but I’m sure there will be some other unknown player who will step up and replicate his numbers. That’s the TB way. Success through anonymity.
To clarify a few of your points – (1) Glasnow is a better pitcher than Ras and perhaps Springs too; although Springs is very very good, even if he doesn’t have the track record. Ras will be returning next year with a brace on his elbow, which has previously had 2 TJS. I’m not expecting anything from him until I see him pitch. He’s certainly no longer a big gun. (2) Glasnow’s contract is down to a 1 year $25MM deal in 2024 (he signed a 2 year $30MM that called for $5MM in 2023 and $25MM in 2024), and I suspect that structure will force the Rays to trade him in the offseason, not the trade deadline. (3) B.Lowe has never had a down year like you’re suggesting. He had a subpar 2022 because of injuries, but even then he posted 0.9 fWAR and hit 104 wRC+. If that’s the worst he will do, while having the upside of a 4-6 Win season, most teams will happily take that risk. (4) I wouldn’t assume anything with Aroz. Both L.Raley and J.Lowe outhit him in 2023 and there were plenty of reports midseason that he and Franco didn’t like each other. If Franco returns, and that’s perhaps a big if, the Rays may opt for better clubhouse harmony by trading Aroz.
mp2891 – Talk to me about Rasmussen’s TJ surgery and the elbow brace. Other pitchers have survived multiple TJ surgeries, what makes his surgery special that a brace would be needed and he would no longer be a big gun? I haven’t read anything about him that suggests what you just suggested..
Glasnow’s deal is up at the end of 2024 not 2025. I misread the years and thought there was two years remaining at $15MM and change but it’s just 2024. The $25MM in cash flow is irrelevant if you are trading to a team near the CAP because they will only focus on the $15.175MM AAV that will go against the Luxury Cap. So whether it’s prior to the season or during the season any contender would be thrilled to only have to spend $15.175MM for a quality starter like Glasnow.
I also agree that Springs is the better of the two when compared to Rasmussen and neither is as good as Glasnow. Springs may be some day.
Completely disagree with you on B Lowe. A .221 average followed by a .231 average is enough to be cut from a team. He had back to back 140 plus OPS+ numbers and then dropped to 101 (league average) and 113 (slightly above league average). Thus, I stand by my comments. Two good years and two bad years. That makes next year highly unpredictable.
I prefer using facts not estimates when considering what a play will do in the future. WAR is poorly designed and reflects nothing related to what the player will do in the future and it grossly distorts what he’s done in the past depending on the circumstances. So if you want to believe in Lowe based on WAR that’s your choice but I prefer facts like average, OBP etc.
Lowe is going to be 30 in 2024 and has a career .245 batting average after 6 seasons. Those numbers represent the player not any contrived numbers fabricated by metric companies. In the six years he’s played over 120 games (3/4 of a season) just one time!!! That means he’s not reliable and has been bad in back to back seasons. He showed great upside 3 and 4 years ago but to suggest that’s what he will do going forward is more of a fan perspective than an analysts perspective.
Do you really see Franco returning? I’ve all but cut him from my keeper team because I think his career is over unless someone comes up with some new evidence that refutes all the damaging evidence that currently exists. I think Bauer will be back before Franco and I doubt Bauer will ever be accepted back.
Arozarena is arguably the Rays best offensive player. You must really dislike the guy to say what you said. Go to a sandlot and see who gets picked first between Lowe and Arozarena. 99 out of 100 will take Arozarena because he’s a FAR better player than Lowe. His numbers prove it.
If TB doesn’t get along with Arozarena send him to Boston. They would take him in a heartbeat .He would be their best outfielder as of today. Their young outfielders should surpass him in a couple of years but for now Arozarena would be Boston’s #1 outfielder.
If he and Franco don’t get along, that’s just one more reason to move on from Franco.
Let me know about Rasmussen because as I mentioned, I’ve read nothing related to him being in a brace and losing his stuff. They continue to improve their choices on ligaments to use in TJ surgery and even if it was his 3rd TJ surgery, if the ligament holds he should return to form.
I don’t know what you want me to tell you about Ras that a simple google search can’t do. He’s had 2 TJS and the Rays feared he was headed for a 3rd. Instead he underwent some kind of brace surgery I’ve never heard of that requires a year of rehab. I don’t know that anyone has had that much work done on his elbow and still pitched. At least I can’t think of anyone who has had 3 TJS and still pitched.
Gotcha on Glasnow’s contract. You are correct about the AAV, and it’s my opinion too that that structure will make him more desirable to rich teams via trade. For the Rays though, that $25MM is the more important number, which is why he’s expected to be traded.
You’re welcome to think B.Lowe is dog poop or that he’s had 2 bad years, but there are a lot of teams with guys making a lot more than B.Lowe’s $8.75MM (next year’s salary) and putting up negative WAR. In the two years you’re citing, B.Lowe put up 0.9 and 2.8 fWAR. A lot of teams would love a player with that limited downside. You may not like WAR but a lot of GMs and other baseball people do. I’d also point out that B.Lowe also put up a nearly .330 OBP and .450 SLG this past year. Batting average ain’t everything.
I have no opinion on the likelihood of Franco ever playing again. You talk about facts and with Franco there are absolutely no facts that are publicly available. All we know is that allegations have been made. That said, the longer this investigation takes, I suspect the more likely it is that Franco’s career is done. I’m still in the boat that Bauer is scum and won’t play baseball in the States ever again, so we’re in agreement there.
LOL… Dude, I watch about 150 Rays games a year. I know all about Aroz. He is one of the Rays best players, but the Rays have a lot of good players. In 2023, Aroz has the 6th best batting average among regulars, the 2nd best OBP, and the 9th best SLG. He’s only average in the field. Aroz can take over games when the lights are brightest, but he’s a Ray which means the lights are rarely that bright, and he can turn into a mopey disinterested player for long stretches at a time with the Rays. He and Yandy Diaz got into a fist fight last year and there were a ton of reports of him and Franco having issues this year. So while Randy makes the Rays better, he is by no means untouchable via trade.. This is the last year he’s affordable for the Rays anyway, so whether he’s traded this year or next, he’s on his way out. I have nothing against the guy, but thems the facts.
I’d bet good money that Glasnow is traded. And at $25M, his market will be small. If I were the RS, I’d asking what the price is.
JB – $25MM is the cash flow not the AAV. So he’s an even better pick-up than you are suggesting.
Small market or not, the Rays will have no trouble trading him and getting a good package of players in return.
Glasnow for a couple of above average pitching prospects, maybe a LH hitting catcher as well
“A familiar situation to Kepler in particularly”—really, MLBTR? Someone needs to proofread this Deeds kid’s work before it’s published. Every article has some sort of error in it. Like the other day when he said that Mike Hazen was the GM of the Rangers.
If you’re going to complain about grammar, your comments should be grammatically correct.
Please tell me where I’m not being grammatically correct.
@Farlan. That’s rich. You don’t even know where you’re screwing up? LOL.
Starting your sentence with the preposition “Like” without using a comma to separate the subjective clause is improper.
Furthermore, the sentence starting with “Every article has some sort of error in it.” is actually a subordinate clause in and of itself without a proper subject as your intended subject (Deeds) is missing from the sentence.
Finally, your overuse of the pronoun “he’ when you’re referencing multiple multiple men is sloppy and confusing.
I think it’s time for you to get back to studying at the grammar police academy.
Mike Drop. I mean ‘The mike has been dropped’. Well done Martras. I hate grammar police.
Oh, the irony!
*multiple, multiple men…
Also, that is redundantly redundant.
I’m out!
Wow, everything you just said is wrong. Hilarious!
First, you have something about punctuation. And you are wrong. “Like” doesn’t need a comma after it—a preposition doesn’t require a comma after it unless it’s part of a multiword phrase. Source: grammarly.com/blog/commas-after-introductory-phras….
Do you think that sentence is a subordinate clause? It has a subject and a verb, and the subject isn’t Deeds. The subject is “every article.” I’m making a statement about his articles directly. You just suck at reading comprehension. Nice try, but you’re wrong here again.
Overuse of “he?” Now you’re grasping at straws. I said Deeds, then two sentences later referred to him as “he” prior to mentioning Hazen. I’m sorry you’re too thickheaded to understand who I was referring to.
I think it’s time for you to get back to studying for the GED.
What type of haul do Kepler and Polanco get back if traded?
Polanco had had many injuries but when he’s on the field he’s a spark to the team. Would hate to see him go but with so may infield options the Twins might need to move him. The Twins outfield situation isn’t as secure so they should hold onto Kepler.
Rays unloading salary to bring in Ohtani.
I doubt the Twins are actually in a situation where the TV contract issue is going to be a concern. Worst case scenario, they’ll at least be able to have a local network pick them up for a year.
On a related note. If I were approving public funding for a stadium, I’d be adding a provision which forces the team to allow for free access to televised games. Forcing the community to pay for a stadium should at least come with the perk of being able to watch the games. These days, you’re going to be forking over $50+/mo for a cable TV package.
The razor televised on Bally Sun sports, all 162 games so I’m not sure what you’re talking about
The rays are televised on Bally Sun sports, all 162 games so I’m not sure what you’re talking about
@Michael Macaulay-Birks – BallSun Sports doesn’t sound like a free channel to me…
For residents of Hennepin County and Minneapolis, MN, they shouldn’t have to pay to watch the Twins. They fund the team every single day with taxes. I’d say the same for residents of Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg/wherever will get taxed to pay for the new Rays’ stadium.
Cora’s role should in picking the next anything involved in baseball ops should be non existent.
Teams that expect to compete but had poor 2b production this year might be interested in Polanco. Seattle? San Fran? Both have young pitching depth that might line up on a trade.
Jc#1 How many people that have World Series rings on are running to Boston to get a Interview.
Plus Billy E work for two of the hands on owner In baseball both
A M and S C
If you have never work for someone that Mico manager every decisions you should consider yourself lucky.
Trust me It a pain In the A*S
The Giants don’t need a second baseman. Before you make comments have a clue about what your talking about.
When you had a chance to teach, instead you mocked.
I don’t think the Rays will see much value in a guy earning a million (or more) per start. They most likely will trade him and Randy Aza,Azura, AzanotgonnabeaRayanyway and spread that money around to 4 players who will out produce them.
Glas is the best pitcher the Rays have and is underpaid. He will probably be traded this Winter because of his salary, and the Rays will probably receive some very nice prospects in return. That’s all well and good, and I can’t fault them for trading him with 3 starting pitchers on IL and Franco on Admin Leave, but make no mistake, a team as good as the Rays does not get better trading 1 player who produces 4 wins and replacing him with 2-3 players who produce 5 wins. The Rays have plenty of 2 Win players. They need the 4+ Win players to win rings.
The Sox search is supposedly down to Levine and Breslow according to Sports Illustrated so maybe we’ll be able to put this to rest in the very near future
Red Sox should just make Cora the POBO and promote Varitek to manager. Cora only has to answer to ownership and Varitek is already the field guy anyway.
Nice idea.
RSmith – I thought Judgement Day’s comment was one of the dumbest comments I’ve read in recent days and to see you confirm it validates my belief. How can you guys write the ridiculous stuff you write? You obviously have no idea what a POBO does. Cora is far better suited to sweep floors or take out trash than to be a POBO. Actually, what Cora is best suited for is a life of crime since he already has the stealing skill perfected!! Oh yeah, and the back stabbing skill as well.
Î honestly liked Cora until I found out he was involved in that cheating scandal then I lost a lot of respect for him even though he won a Wirkd Series fir us in 2018. Any new GM wants to bring his or her own manager in. I don’t know what they are going to do unless they hire someone from within.
You gotta figure every potential GM saw what happened to Bloom. No one with choices will want the job with crappy fans like that.
Don’t blame the fans, all they want is a winnner. Bloom dived too much into the dumpsters for bargain players. Kluber was a complete waste and Paxton gave you 3/4 of a year and you payed him for a year of rehab. He knew Sale has been hurt for over 4 years now. How did you really expect Sale to give you a full year pitching. I thought he would have gone after Senga who the Mets signed. Then when Bloom made that stupid statement about underdogs and sat put at the 2023 trade deadline. What he did at the 2022 trade deadline did not make sense with the Vazquez trade to a team we were playing that night, picking up a dud in Eric Hosmer who went on the DL right away, not trading JD Martinez, and Eovaldi. This year he jerks Eovaldi around who wanted to stay and Boggaerts could have been signed last year during the year. He also hung onto prospects like they were gold. Don’t get me started on the Hunter Renfro trade for Jackie Bradley Jr.
Im just giving you the reality. If you’re a GM and you’ve got multiple suitors, Red Sox is not going to be anyone’s first choice for two reasons:
1) Ownership’s meddling
2) Fans targeting people in the organization to attack.
Just a fact. It effects the Red Sox when they look for FAs and and effects them when they look for coaches and on up the management ladder.
RSmith – Did you just slam the fans for Bloom’s ineptness? Wow. That’s a really unusual take on the situation.
So just to recap… What happened to Bloom?
1 – He got a job he wasn’t qualified for
2 – He did a terrible job for four years
3 – The team finished .500 after four years after finishing 104 games over .500 for DD
4 – He dismantled a World Championship roster and turned it into mush
5 – He missed every opportunity to help his team at the trade deadline.
Those ungrateful fans. After all that they still hated him. Go figure!!! hahahaha